Pistol, Misfire / Stovepipe

Misfires and Stovepipes are fairly common pistol malfunctions. Fortunately, the clearance procedure is very simple. Just, Rack and Go.This procedure is often called Tap, Rack and Go; OR Tap, Rack and Scan. Regardless, the tap is really unnecessary.If you've been shooting, and haven't touched the magazine release then Tap is wasted time.However, if you've just performed a tactical reload and haven't given the magazine a tug to ensure that it has been seated, then a tap may be needed. Inserting one or two dummy rounds into a magazine on the live fire range will give you good practice on this skill.

++++ONLY USE INERT TRAINING ROUNDS FOR THIS DRILL++++

Setting Up the Misfire

Step 1: Load a magazine with inert/dummy rounds.Step 2: Load the pistol with the dummy magazine.Clearing the MisfireI wish there were something more to be said about clearing these malfunctions. The procedure is really straight forward:Step 1: Tilt the weapon in the direction of the ejection port.Step 2: Work the slide.Step 3: Scan or re-engage targets.Things to Note:

When working with the Stovepipe: Don't try to sweep the brass casing. You could cut your hand and/or induce a bigger problem if the brass doesn't fall free. Sweeping works some of the time. Tilt and Rack works ALL of the time.If you are working with a weapon (such as the Beretta 92f) that has a de-cocking safety, modify your grip and/or release of the slide so you do not accidentally engage the safety when performing this technique.